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When to plant garlic in Lucerne: 20 September – 29 November

In Lucerne, garlic: plant from 20 September to about 29 November.

Garlic is best planted early in the window: cloves planted late make smaller bulbs. Late planting works only while the soil is not frozen. Mulch after planting.

The date is about two weeks before the average daily temperature here falls below 0 °C (ten years of weather): an estimate, not the day the ground freezes, and a cold spell can freeze it earlier. Sources: UVM Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Garlic in Lucerne: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Lucerne from 20 September to about 29 November; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -5.6 °C.

Planting20 September – 29 November
First autumn frost20 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -5.6 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring30 March
Harvest (card)about 8 months after planting: May
Daylight12:20 on 20 September
Daylight at the winter solstice8:30

The same dates in Lucerne hold for Tulip, Daffodil, Crocus and Hyacinth.

Garlic in Lucerne: care after planting

Planted on 20 September: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

  • 20 September — feed: nitrogen
  • 18 October — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of garlic to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Garlic in nearby cities

Around Lucerne, Locarno is 28 days earlier and Basel 31 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Zurich41 km17 October – end of December27 days later
Bern66 km4 October – 21 December14 days later
Basel79 km21 October – end of December31 days later
St. Gallen90 km19 October – end of December29 days later
Fribourg92 km7 October – 30 December17 days later
Locarno105 km23 August – 27 October28 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in Lucerne

Planting stock goes into the ground from 20 September to about 29 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Lucerne OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery, 16 markets and 37 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant garlic in Lucerne?

In Lucerne, garlic: plant from 20 September to about 29 November. Garlic is best planted early in the window: cloves planted late make smaller bulbs. Late planting works only while the soil is not frozen. Mulch after planting.

When is the last spring frost in Lucerne?

Last spring frost around 2 May, first autumn frost around 20 October.

Other crops in Lucerne, with their dates